As Mississippi River Floods, a Hero Emerges: Its $13 Billion Levee System

As the Mississippi River reaches its highest level in more than 70 years, threatening to inundate dozens of cities and towns, a hero has emerged: the region’s $13 billion flood-control system.

Built after the devastating floods of the early 1900s, the levees and four large corridors are emergency flood outlets that became necessary after Mother Nature’s flood buffer along the Mississippi was turned into farmland.

The elaborate system built and managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers protects four million people now living in the potential flood zone.